1. Prevalence of Eight Phthalate Monoesters in Water from the Okavango Delta, Northern Botswana
- Author
-
John W. Brock, Thea M. Edwards, and Perry W Bartsch
- Subjects
Pollution ,Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis ,media_common.quotation_subject ,Phthalic Acids ,Wetland ,Fresh Water ,010501 environmental sciences ,Isotope dilution ,Toxicology ,01 natural sciences ,Mass Spectrometry ,Okavango delta ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Rivers ,Prevalence ,Ecotoxicology ,Humans ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,media_common ,geography ,geography.geographical_feature_category ,Botswana ,Phthalate ,Esters ,04 agricultural and veterinary sciences ,General Medicine ,Pesticide ,chemistry ,Phthalate monoesters ,Environmental chemistry ,Wetlands ,040103 agronomy & agriculture ,0401 agriculture, forestry, and fisheries ,Environmental science ,Water Pollutants, Chemical ,Chromatography, Liquid ,Environmental Monitoring - Abstract
Phthalate diesters are used in personal care products, plastics, and pesticides, resulting in widespread human and wildlife exposure. Phthalate diesters leach out of these products and ultimately enter biological systems where they are quickly metabolized to phthalate monoesters and glucuronides. As such, phthalate monoesters can serve as indicators of anthropogenic activity in wilderness areas. The Okavango Delta, an inland seasonal wetland covering 5000–12,000 km2 in Botswana, provides fresh water to many species of birds, fish, reptiles, and large mammals. Water samples (N = 46) were taken from across the Okavango water system, extracted, and analyzed for eight different phthalate monoesters using liquid chromatography and isotope dilution mass spectrometry. Seven of eight phthalate monoesters were detected from the low ng/L to low µg/L levels. Phthalate monoesters were found in samples from all five sampling regions. Sources of these contaminants are unknown, but their presence indicates encroachment of human activity on the Okavango Delta.
- Published
- 2018